Why fathers need a doula

We often talk about how doulas are good for moms and allow moms to have the rest, support and information they need to have a full, rich birth and postpartum. The same is true for dads! 

When you hire a birth doula, it gives the husband/spouse/support person someone with whom to trade off hip squeezes, sleep and potty breaks, all of which are very important! Being the support person during a birth can be physically and emotionally challenging. Having a doula who isn’t directly emotionally invested in the birth gives everyone involved the opportunity to be supported.

Having someone else to run and get ice chips or cold packs is also very helpful- your midwife or nurse are often not available to do such things! And having someone else there who knows your birth plan and your desires, and who can help advocate for your laboring partner when you are exhausted is invaluable. 

A postpartum doula is just as, if not more important than a birth doula for dads. While birth will last up to a couple of days, parents are always postpartum, and support during the first few weeks is vital. The transition of adding a new baby to your family, while joyful, can also add a lot of stress to everyone. And dads, postpartum mental health issues can affect you too. Having an educated support person around who can give you rest, advice and a resource list is important for both moms and dads!

Doulas are not only there to help with the physical aspects of birth and postpartum, but also the mental and emotional parts too. 

I’ve shared about maternal mental health on this platform multiple times- I want to address paternal mental health as well. Not only can fathers experience stress, anxiety, worry and trauma during the birth process, they can also experience postpartum depression. In fact, 10% of fathers worldwide experience postpartum depression (source here: https://www.postpartumdepression.org/resources/statistics/)

Even if you as a father don’t experience any mental or emotional struggles during the birth or postpartum, the mother is at a much higher risk to experience these things and her mental and emotional well being will greatly affect you, your child’s and her quality of life.

Dads, if your significant other is having a baby, please give them and yourself the gift of a birth and postpartum doula. If you’re in the Indianapolis area, I’d love to serve you in this capacity. If you’re not local to me, I offer virtual birth and postpartum support at an affordable rate. All of my services can be found here, under the “work with me” toggle: https://www.joyfulparenthooddoulaservices.com/